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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: glow777 on December 11, 2006, 20:10:13

Title: J artichokes - planting
Post by: glow777 on December 11, 2006, 20:10:13
I have  7 or so JA's still in the ground however I want to plant some somewhere else for next year.

Any advice when to dig the JA's up that I need to plant out and how to store. Should I leave them in till Feb or dig up now and store till later  for planting in feb/Mar or dig up and plant now or eat all and find some new uns
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: Curryandchips on December 11, 2006, 20:16:47
In the absence of any other advice, I intended to lift some in February for replanting - like you, on another site. I will watch with interest if I should be doing something different.
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: supersprout on December 11, 2006, 20:42:50
I leave in the ground all winter and harvest up til about March. When they start sprouting, I'll take some nice ones and replant, harvest and freeze or bottle the rest :)
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: cleo on December 11, 2006, 21:20:28
It`s six of one and a half dozen of the other-lift now and re-plant,or leave them till later. But don`t lift and store-no point in that
.
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: glow777 on December 12, 2006, 09:20:52
OK ta for that all

I'll leave a plant in - but I hope theres something under it when I dig it up!
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: saddad on December 12, 2006, 11:56:38
There's always something under a JA Glow... you will probably end up with JA's at both sites!
8)
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: jennym on December 12, 2006, 12:28:26
Leave mine in the same spot year after year. Just dig out as much as I can, leaving some decent ones to re-clump and grow, no pest & disease problems. Mainly do this because of where they are now they provide privacy in high summer (they're right by the fence on a footpath). Wish I had camera available at the moment, there is a clump literally bulging out of the ground from this years crop. The other thing (tiny aspect really, is that the stems dry out nicely come autumn, and make good kindling for bonfires) also I leave a couple of dozen short pieces to provide a bit of a hiding place for kindly creepy crawlies like ladybirds.
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: Barnowl on December 12, 2006, 12:33:50
I'm sure I read somewhere that if you leave some in, they get knobblier every year.  Any truth in it?
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: jennym on December 12, 2006, 12:41:12
Well, I've got Fuseau and they aren't very knobbly and I haven't noticed them getting knobblier! So maybe that's an old wives tale  ;D or maybe it is true in stony soil (mine's heavy clay but not too stony where they are)
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: supersprout on December 12, 2006, 14:59:06
I've also got fuseau (ty Jenny :-*)
Plant the smoothest you can find and they will get smooother! ;D
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: Curryandchips on December 12, 2006, 15:01:43
Well this is my first year, so I don't have any knobbly comparisons to make, but mine seem pretty smooth ... Fuseau here too !
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: Barnowl on December 12, 2006, 15:17:47
We just picked up some from the garden centre last spring - no idea what variety, but they certainly seemed to do their stuff - 9ft+ stems. Plan to dig up the first ones this w.e so will see what the crop is like.

Was thinking of getting some fuseau since they've had such good reports.
Title: Re: J artichokes - planting
Post by: saddad on December 12, 2006, 20:50:34
Originally I grew Dwarf Sunray from T+M but tghe Fuseau were a great improvement... No I didn't manage to get all the Suray out we moved house!!!
;D